Movie Review: Match Point
Starring: Johnathan Ryes Meyers, Emily Mortimer, Scarlett Johanssen, Brian Cox
Written and Directed by: Woody Allen

With deft direction, and a little bit of luck, this film charmingly grabs on doesn’t let up until the end.

This film exhibits such finesse in its direction that one would think that the youthful Mr. Allen has had experience in directing film in the past. Otherwise how could his work be so efficiently precise and effective?

We joke of course. Woody Allen’s contribution to cinema (particularly comedic) is legendary, and will long survive his own life.
Mr. Allen’s most famous films (Annie Hall, Don't Drink the Water, Bullets Over Broadway) are often cited as being amongst the funniest films ever made, so it was surprising and intriguing to see Allen turning his attention to what ultimately proves to be far more dramatic fare. All of the experience Woody Allen has garnered thus far is put to work in this Golden Globe nominated work, which must be added to the list of more impressive films of the last year. I came into this film determined not to like it, so the fact that it ultimately won me over speaks volumes to the artistic craft of the film.

The Premise: Everything we do requires a little bit of luck in order to succeed.
Could-be-pro-tennis player Chris (Rhyes Meyers) takes a job as a tennis instructor at an exclusive club in London where he meets upper-crust socialite Tom and his sister, Chloe whom he ultimately marries. Chris meets Tom's fiancé, Nola (Johannsen) who proves too much temptation for Chris, and they begin what ends up being a year-long affair, culminating in an illegitimate pregnancy, even though Chris has since married Chloe. From this point on, the movie really becomes engaging, and the end of the story is best not divulged at this point.

My first impressions of this movie were rather luke-warm. The film first appears to be a satirical look at the hobnobbing social class of England, where proper etiquette and formality is the most important order of affairs, even when circumstances become so ridiculous that the characters are forced to obscene actions behind closed doors.

Mr. Allen’s legendary status as a comic director/writer/actor leave me wondering at times how seriously I am to take certain circumstances in the film. At times the situations become so embroiled that you almost felt it necessary to laugh, otherwise you would be uncertain as to what the outcome could be. At times it was obvious that our reaction was meant to be hilarity; at others, it is entirely to the audience’s discretion.

The directing in this film is superb. For the first hour and a half of film, the plot, characters and story behave so predictably, that if it weren’t for Woody Allen’s deft touch of camera work, editing and the actor’s performance, I would have been prepared to write off this film with a dull thud after the first thirty minutes.
But somehow Allen keeps his camera unrelentingly close to the center of attention, never letting up on the tension or drama, so the audience never has the opportunity to grow bored with what is going on. A less experienced director would probably welcome the moments in the film to seek respite throughout the film, allowing the characters and the audience to relax a little bit, but Allen knows better, and pushes his vehicle to the limits of its capability. From frame one, this film builds to a crescendo that really doesn’t end until the credits roll.

One reason Allen is able to push the story as far as he does is because of Allen’s other great mastery: comedic timing.
No matter how tense the scenes may become, whenever Allen really needs it, he achieves the classic comedic timing needed to deliver the one-two punch line that relieves enough of our collective strain so that he can build it up again.
Whether he uses the device to deliver an actual comic punch line which we laugh at, or uses it to move quickly into the next beat of story telling, he does so with such liquid efficiency it makes you marvel.

The acting in this film is perhaps the weakest point of the film. Johnathan Rhyes Meyers who plays Chris Wilton is convincing enough, certainly chosen for this role because of his ability to seem convincingly unconvincing. For the entire film his character is telling one lie or another, so it was essential that we enjoy a performance that would allow the audience to ultimately see the conflicted nature of his character.
Far less convincing is the lovely Scarlett Johannsen playing the fledgling American actress, Nola. Nothing against Ms. Johannsen, but I have yet to truly be taken in by a performance. I believe she has the unnamed “X-factor” of appeal which will assure her a future career on the silver screen, but I can not separate this from the fact that I have always felt painfully aware of her self-awareness as an actress. I await the day when I see a Johanssen performance that really takes me away from her ordinary characteristics.

Because of the final third of this film, and the slick, seamless way in which the film is told, I have to give this movie a high rating.

The Grade: A

T.